Electric lantern



April 24, 1928.

. 1,667,706 E. B. BRONSON ELECTRIC LANTERN Filed Oct. 23, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l XVN 4 -23 java/6272* April 24, 1-928.

E. B. BRONSON ELECTRIC LANTERN Filed on, 23, 1922 Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

UNITED STATES EDMOND B. BRONSON, OF BLUE ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC LANTERN.

Application filed October 23, 1922." SeriaI No. 596,269.

My present invei'iti'on'relat-es to improvements in electric lanterns, and hastor one of its objects the provisiono'f a lantern coinpose'dot separate complete units which, in the event of damage to any of them, will only require the replacement of the unit damaged. For this reason I have designed a battery receptacle and lamp or bulb support and a separable base or stand with means for making an easy and dependable assembly between these parts.

I have also provided the batteryrcceptacle and bulb or' lamp supportwith lateral trunnion's for engaging a handle or bail, and have provided means for either permitting the'bail to pivot or swing with respect to the battery receptacle; or for seeming these parts rigidly in any relation wl'iich the trunii'ions will permit. I have also providedmy lantern with a bent wo'. handle or bail which is light and'strong d particularly convenient and desirable or carry ing either'in the handorupon the arn'i.

Another and important object otthe in- Yentio'n" is the provision of an improved switch'mechani'sin whichis preferably installed exterior-1y ofthe'battery receptacle I I and housed in one '01 the trunmons thereot by which it is protected t'romnccidental injury, and I have arranged this switch so that it may either'be manually operated or adjusted so as to be operated by swinging the bail through a certain arc with respect to the battery receptacle;

In connectionwithlhe battery receptacle. itwill be n that l have designed the several parts so that they are of a ru ged and sturdy character and will withstand a maximum amount of severe service.

Viithin'the cover of the battery receptacle, 1 have provided a simple clip for receiving and safely holding two additional or spare bulbs. v

The electric circuit between the'battery, bulb and switch is ot" copper. insulated where necessary, so that'the current is not required orperinitted to be grounded or to circulate in the walls of the battery rece'p tacle; p I g V I The contact for th'e lateral battery terminal is'springsupported so as to'tollow and assure contact with the terminal; and'is so designed that it will make contact no maeter in what vangular relation the battery may be inserted into the receptacle. I

The conductor between the central'terininals of the battery and bulb is made in the form of a helix or coiled spring suitably guided and removably mounted so as to insure contact and electrical connection at all times between the central terminals of the battery and bulb and avoid a breaking of the circuit incident to longitudinal jars of the structure.

All of the 'l'oregoing; objects I prefer to accomplish in the following manner, reference being made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved lantern.

Fig. 2 is a'similar VlCW oi' the structure ed at right angle to Fig 1.

. 5 a top plan of the'reinovable support or stand detached from the battery cusiu'g and a sociated parts.

F -l is a top plan of a lragmentol the cover and casingand'a transverse section of, the handle on line .-t, Fig. 1; I

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of one oi' the trun'ni'ons, the View being taken on line Fig. 1. M

Fig. 6 is a central vertical section through the battery casing and associated parts on line 66, Fig. 1,, and drawn to an enlarged scale.

F 7 is a similar section at a right angle to Fig. 6' and taken on line 1 1, Fig. 2, and also enlarged.

Fig. 8 is adetailplan' oi the annular contact element in the bottom of the battery casing. the View being taken on li'i'uri s, Fi 7.

l ig. 9 is a horizontal section of one of the trininions and the switch mechanism housed therein; the riew being an enlarged horizon tal section taken 'on'line 99, Fig. '7.

10 is a transverse section on line 1010', Fig. 9 looking in the direction oi the arrow". v

Observing first Fi s. 1. 2 and E of the drawings, it will be'secn the lantern is'provided with a support that comprises a circularband 15 that encircles the lower poi"- tion of the casing or body of the lantern. to which band is secured a plurality (preterably tour) uprights 16, 16. thatincline outwardly and downwardly to a rectangular base l'T-to whichthe loiv r ends the uprights are secured by forming loopsaroun'd the same in the manner sli'own; Theb'ody or casing is acylindrical shell' l havinga convex bead 19 in its lower portion against which the upper edge of band engages when the body is inserted into the support above described, and in order to removably lock the body in the support the former may be provided with lateral pins QUPLOjQCtlllQ from opposite portions thereof below the bead 19 which pins may engage with ogee or circuituous grooves or channels 21 formed in opposite portions of band 15. One of the pins is carried by a spring 2:2 (Fig. 6) and is longer than the oppositepin so that when band 15 approaches the bead 19 this longer pin will be projected into a slot 23 formed in one of grooves 21 and thereby latch the parts to prevent their accidental displacement in a manner which will be apparent.

The lower end of shell 18 is closed by a concavo-convex wall 24' having a central tubular portion 25 that is formed into threads upon its outer portion to receive a transparent or translucent globe or shade 26, preferably of glass or other suitable material that is threaded so that it may be screwed upon the exterior of tube to enclose the bulb which is mounted in the man ner to be hereinafter described. A suitable reflector 27 of annular shape, and having a threaded edge, is screwed into the interior of the outer end of tube 25, the bulb being positioned in the central aperture of said reflector. The foregoing structure is illustrated in detail in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings.

The opposite or upper end of the casing shell 18 is closed by a hinged cover 28 of concavo-convex shape that is maintained in closed position by a spring latch 29 that may be locked against accidental dislodgment by rotating a wing member 30 that co-operates therewith. Upon a convenient portion of cover 28 is or may be placed a luminous disk or button 31 that is secured in position by a ring 32, shown, so thatwhen the lantern is left unlighted and standing inn dark place it may be readily located by the glow from the disk. The interior of the cover is provided with an elongated spring clip 33 of U-shape in transverse section so that extra bulbs 3 1 may be stored therein for emergency use, and secured to the interior of the cover by the same element that retains this clip in position is a spring plate 35 the ends of the arms of which are spread apart to engage t-he upper end of the battery or battery unit 36 that is carried by the housing or casing 18.

Embossments 37 are provided upon opposite sides of casing 18 that are reduced in diameter to provide arbors 38 that are threaded upon their outer ends and are pro- .vided with longitudinal slots or grooves 39 to receive the feathers 10 of washers 11 carried upon the smooth portions of the arbors back of the threads. Handle receiving sockets 42 have their flattened end portions 13 apertured and mounted upon arbors 38 between embossments 37 and washers 41, and the structure is maintained upon the arbors by internally threaded caps at that are therein by set-screws 16 threaded transversely into said sockets. It will be seen that by reason of the interposing of feathered washers d1 between the bail and tile securing caps upon the trunnions the movement of the bail will not cause, or tend to cause a movement of the outer securing cap.

Mounted in the lower end of easing 13'is a disk :17 of insulating material slightly lesi in diameter than the interior of casing 18, that is centrally bored to receive a short tube 18, and one edge portion of the disk is cut away or flattened, as at 49 in Figs. 7 and S of the drawings, to permit its insertion into or removal from the casing and past the condutcor wires where they pas.) through the casing. Surrounding and extending below thelower end of tube 48 is an electric socket element 50 that is spaced and insulated from the tube by a cylinder of insulating material 51 interposed between the tube and socket elements, and the outer portion of the socket element 50 is provided with oppositely arranged bayonet slots to receive the lateral co-acting studs or pins 53 on the miniature electric light bulb 54 that is mounted in said socket element. Positioned in the tube preferably so that it estends out of the ends thereof is a yieldable, flexible conductor 55 that may be in the form of a helically coiled wire of suitable gagr': and conductivity, and to the upper and lower ends of which are secured metallic buttons or disks or contact plates 56 and 57, respectively. The lower Contact plate 57 bears against the central terminal of bulb 5a, and the upper plate 56 is engaged and depressed. slightly by the central terminal of the battery or battery unit when the latter is inserted in the casing so that yieldable conductor 55 is compressed and longitudinal jars upon the casing will not tend to cause a breaking of the circuit at these points.

A metallic annulus or concentricelement 58 is mounted upon the insulation disk 47 by means of yielding tongues or tangs 59 formed integrally from the metal and are extended downwardly therefrom so as to space and support element 58 out of contact with the insulation disk, except at the locations ofsaid tongues, One ofthetongues is apertured, and-apin passes therethrough and through the insulation disk to secure the concentric. element 58 to said disk, and a current conductor 61 leading from the switch (hereinafter, described) is connected at one of its ends to said pin and element 5.8, while a suitable conductor 63 leads from the opposite terminal of said switch to socket element 50. Both of said. conductor wires pass through an aperture 6st in the wallet casing 18 at the axis of the adjacent trunnion embossn ent.

The switchabove alluded to comprises a structure, that is enclosed within the tubular arbor or sleeve ortrunnion of one of the embo sments heretofore described, and is il-. ted in detail in Figs. 7, 9 and 10 of the drawings. The, circular insulating block 65 fits into sleeve 88 and carries posts 66, to which the adjacent-ends ofconductor wires 61 and 63 are connected. The outer ends of posts 56 threaded and screwed into small disks ornuts 6T embedded in the. outer face of block (55 so as toprovide separated or spaced contact elements in the face of the block Disposed in front of the block is an insulating disk 68 having apertures 69 to receiveshort stubs 70 on. oppositeends of a segment-ally shaped switch plate 71 that is preferably of thin metal of suitableconchic-v tivity and is preferablybowed transversely intermediately of its ends, as seen in Fig. 9. Centrally ofdisk .SS is av rectangular aperture to receive the squared end 1 20f a stud that is increased in diameier and of circular outline, as at- 73, intermediate itsends where it is positioned in a central. aperture. made in thev cap 14-. Thecap 44 is threaded internally and is screwed upon the threaded outer end of tubular sleeve 38. A rotatable cover 74. fits over cap 46, and, as shown in Fig. 10, has a square aperture in its central portion to receive the correspondingly shaped portion of stud 72. The outer end of stud 72 is cylindrical and threaded, and a nut 75 is screwed thereon to maintain the parts in assembly and to insure the movement or rotation of the s\vitcl1carrying disk (58 with cover 4. Upon the exterior of cover member 74 is provided a pair of radially projecting lugs 7 6 that engage the head of a small screw 77 screwed into the laterally inclined portion of plate 43 so that its head may be projected into and out of the path of movement of lugs 7 6. Bolt 7 7 may be adjusted so as to remove it from the path of the lugs whenever it is desired.

In order to be able to assemble cap 44; with sleeve 38, I have provided transverse holes 78 in the cap and cover 74:, which may be brought into registry to receive a pin for holding these two elements against relative movement so that these parts may be screwed upon the threaded end of sleeve 38, and when this assembly is completed. the pin. is re.- moved, thereby. permitting cover 74 and insnlatingdish 68 to be rotated,.while cap ll; remains in its adjusted position.-

When-it is desired to open or ciosethe switch, handle 45 is swunginthe direction of. the arrow in Fig.2, so that. the. head of bolt orv screw 77, engages the nearest lug 7b, and. a continued movement of the handle rotates the cover from whichthe lugs project and operates the connectecl'elements of the; switch to close. the circuit and light the lamp. This movement of the cover. carries the. unengaged lug, past the center. or axis ofthe. stud, onto the left' side of'the section line 7--7, Fig. 2. W hen the movement. of handle 45 is reversed andinoved to the opposite side ofthe casing the cover remains stationary until the bolt has engaged the then adjacentor opposite lug 70 so that the further movementof the handle will move theswitchpa-rts back to their initial or normal position which causes the switch to break the circuitand leiztinguishes th bulb.

The batteryBG may be of the mono-cell, multi-cell, or other typethat is found desirable or a convenient.

lVhajt I claim is:

1. Ina :portal'ile electric lantern a battery receiving casing, trunnions upon opposite sides thereofone ofwhich is hollow, a handle. swingingly. mounted upon said trunnions, asuitable switch mechanism housed wihinthe hollow trunnion and outside said casing, andmeans operated by the reciprocation of saidhandle to open and close said switch. 7

2. In an electric lantern, abattery casing having ahollowvtrunnion upon one side. a handle one of the ends thereof beingpivotal ly mounted upon said trunnionand the opposite end 'is connected tosaidcasing, a block within said trunnion having terminal posts thereon, a segmental shaped switch element f'rictionally in contact with said block ant adapted to be moved into contact with said posts. a rotatable structure for moving'said switch element into and out of contact with said posts, and means carried by said handle for engaging said rotatable structure to operate the same.

In an electric lantern a battery casing provided with oppositely arranged longitudinally slotted trunnions, a support apert-ured to receive said trunnions, feathered washers co-operating with said trunnions, and threaded caps operable to secure said support in desired relation with said trunnions.

4. In an electric lantern a battery casing, a hollow longitudinally slotted trunnion, a feathered washer co-operating with said trunnion, a threaded cap co-operable with said trunnion and washer, a cover exterior to said cap, switch elements mounted within said trunnion, and means extending through said cap between an element of said switch and said cover whereby said switch may be operated by a movement of said cover.

5. In an electric lantern a battery casing, a hollow trunnion secured thereto, a stator and a rotor switch elementdisposed within said trunnion, a closure for the end of said trunnion, and an exterior cap mounted upon the end of said trunnion and secured through said closure to the rotor element of said switch.

6. In an electric lantern a battery casing, a hollow trunnion secured thereto, a stator and a rotor switch element disposed within said trunnion, a closure for the end of said trunnion, an exterior cap mounted upon the end of said trunnion and secured through said cap to the rotor element of said switch, lugs extended from said cap, and a member pivoted upon said trunnion and movable to engage said lugs.

7. In an electric lantern, a stand comprisinga base and a body band secured in spaced relation, ogee-shaped diametrically positioned channels in said body band, one whereof is slotted intern'iediate its ends, a battery casing and lamp support shaped to assemble with the body band of said stand, radial projections thereon adapted to co-operate with said channels and one whereof is dcpressible to co-operate with said slot.

8. In an electric lantern, a battery casing and lamp support, an annular contact member positioned therein having a plurality of spring tangs produced therefrom to cause said member to yieldingly register with a battery face, and a second contact member comprising a helical spring whereby independent spring actuated contacts are provided for the respective poles ofthe battery.

9. In an electric lantern, a battery casing and lamp support, a hinged closure therefor a pair of U-shaped spring clips disposed one within the other and mounted Within said closure, one pair thereof provides battery clamps and the other pair provides bulb holding means.

10. in an electric lantern, a battery casing and lamp sinoport, a switch mounted exteriorly of said raising, an insulating disk within said casing, an annular contact carried by said disk and yieldable under pressure of a battery in said casing, a lamp socket mounted upon said disk, conductors extending between said annular contact and lamp socket to the respective terminals of said switch, and an independent spiral, conductor extending through said insulating disk and atlording electrical connections between a battery pole and a central terminal of an incandescent bulb mounted in said socket.

11. In an electric lantern, a battery casing having a trunnion thereon, a switch assembling cap cooper-able with said trunnion, a switch operating member enclosing said cap, switch element-s mounted within said truniiion, and means extending through said cap between an element of said switch and said operating member whereby said switch may be operated by movement of said member.

12. In an electric lantern, a battery casing and lamp support, an annular contact mem ber positioned therein having a spring tang produced therefrom to cause said member to yieldingly register with a battery face, and

a second contact member comprising a heli cal spring whereby independent spring-actuated contacts are provided for the respective poles of the battery. Signed at Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 19th day of October, 1922.

EDMOND B. BRONSON. 

